Here is another very simple étude from Giuseppe Gariboldi's collection of 30 Etudes faciles et progressives. Strive to play it perfectly, paying close attention to dynamics and to the quality of your tone.
This jig, of Scottish origins, appears in a manuscript by Joshua Gibbons, a papermaker and musician from Lincolnshire, England, who between 1823 and 1826 collected this and other tunes from a variety of sources.
Here is the third movement of the second Sonata from the Trattenimenti armonici collection by Italian Baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni.
This is the second movement from the fifth of Telemann's Sonates sans Basse à deux Flutes traverses, ou à deux Violons, ou à deux Flutes à bec, or “Sonatas without Bass for Two Transverse Flutes, or Two Violins, or Two Recorders”.
Here is another étude by Danish flutist Joachim Andersen. This jumpy Allegretto in D minor is study No. 24 from his Twenty-Four Etudes for Flute, Op. 33.
This English Christmas carol, dating to the Renaissance era, was collected about a century ago in Derbyshire by the famous composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The tune has since been arranged by John Jacob Niles and John Rutter, among others. It has been recorded by numerous artists, including Joan Baez, Bruce Cockburn, Shirley Collins and Burl Ives.
This Allegro is the third and final movement of Sonata No. 5 in G major from John Ranish's XII Solos for the German Flute, Op. 2, first appeared in London in 1744.
This “gracious” piece is the third movement from the fifth of Telemann's Sonates sans Basse à deux Flutes traverses, ou à deux Violons, ou à deux Flutes à bec, or “Sonatas without Bass for Two Transverse Flutes, or Two Violins, or Two Recorders”.
This easy Waltz-like étude is taken from Giuseppe Gariboldi's collection of 30 Etudes faciles et progressives.
This composition first appeared in print in Ryan's Mammoth Collection of reels, jigs and other traditional pieces, published in Boston in 1883. In the collection, the tune is attributed to one Frank Livingston.
L'italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers), which became Rossini's first real smash in 1813, has maintained its place in the repertory not least because of its ever popular overture. This overture features a theatrically heavy slow introduction leading to a sudden loud burst of sound from the full orchestra, and then into an exciting Allegro. What is probably the most famous theme from the opera is found at measure 82 (3:05 in the sample recording).
This lively duet between Figaro and Susanna appears at the beginning of Act I of Mozart's famous opera Le nozze di Figaro, right after “Cinque, dieci”. Susanna is trying to explain Figaro why she doesn't like the room the Count has destined to them: she is bothered by its proximity to the Count's chambers, as it seems he has been making advances toward her.
Here is another étude by Danish flutist Joachim Andersen. This molto staccato (“very staccato”) “Allegro ma non troppo” in D-flat major is study No. 15 from his Twenty-Four Etudes for Flute, Op. 33.
The tune to which this Christmas carol is sung is known as “O'Carolan's Lament”, after the blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670–1738), one of the last Irish harpist-composers and the only one whose songs survive in both words and music in significant number.
It is said that O'Carolan originally composed this Lament for the nephew of the great Earl of Tyrone, who led the Irish to a victory over General Monroe's Anglo-Scottish army at Benburb in 1646.
This Allegro in G minor is the fourth and final movement of the second Sonata from the Trattenimenti armonici collection by Italian Baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni.
This is the fourth and final movement from the fifth of Telemann's Sonates sans Basse à deux Flutes traverses, ou à deux Violons, ou à deux Flutes à bec, or “Sonatas without Bass for Two Transverse Flutes, or Two Violins, or Two Recorders”.
Here is another very simple étude from Giuseppe Gariboldi's collection of 30 Etudes faciles et progressives. If you can't play the low C's, you can just play them an octave higher.
This composition is often attributed to William Shields, a popular 18th-century musician and composer originally from Swalwell, Northumberland. However, as scholars have pointed out, Shields often appropriated traditional or folk melodies, and “Morpeth Rant” may not be original to him.
The town of Morpeth is in Northumberland, a market center on the River Wansbeck. A special dance specific to this tune has been performed for over two centuries, and the dance itself is called the Morpeth Rant. Like many such dances, however, numerous tunes could be used as the vehicle for the steps.
One of the most popular tangos in Argentina, this song was written by composer and singer Ángel Villoldo in honor of the nickname of the proprietor of a nightclub, who was known as El Choclo (literally “the corn cob”). The piece was premiered at a restaurant in Buenos Aires in 1903, and has since been recorded by many dance orchestras, especially in Argentina.
Thanks to Monique for suggesting this piece!
The aria “Non so piu cosa son, cosa faccio” (“I don't know anymore what I am, what I do”) is sung in Act I of Mozart's famous opera Le nozze di Figaro by Cherubino, the Count's young male page. In the aria, Cherubino confesses his blossoming interest in all things feminine and particularly for his “beautiful godmother”, the Countess. This aria is an example of an aria agitata: an aria sung in a breathless manner which tended to signify “virtue in distress”.
Here is another étude by Danish flutist Joachim Andersen. This Adagio in B-flat minor is study No. 16 from his Twenty-Four Etudes for Flute, Op. 33. It can easily be considered a study in accidentals... don't let all those sharps and flats scare you!
This hymn tune, known under the name of “Forest Green”, is used in the United Kingdom (and sometimes in the US, especially in the Episcopal Church), to sing the Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. The tune has its origins in an English folk ballad called "The Ploughboy's Dream", which the famous composer Ralph Vaughan Williams collected from a Mr. Garman of Forest Green, Surrey in 1903.
In the United States “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is most commonly sung to the hymn tune known as “St. Louis”.
This Larghetto is the opening movement of Sonata No. 6 in D major from John Ranish's XII Solos for the German Flute, Op. 2, first published in London in 1744.
This Gavotte in G minor is the second movement of the fourth of Belgian Baroque composer Jean-Baptiste Loeillet's second book of Six sonatas of two parts, made on purpose for two German flutes, first published in London in 1720.
This is one of the many Cornish Christmas carols that appeared during the 19th century. The melody was first transcribed from the singing of Thomas Beard, a villager in St. Day in the parish of Gwennap, Cornwall. The village itself is named after St. Day (or St. They), a Breton saint venerated in Cornwall.
Here is another simple étude from Giuseppe Gariboldi's collection of 30 Etudes faciles et progressives. If you can't reach the low E-C# passage (measures 5-6, 21-22, 45-46), you can play both notes one octave higher.
This Tarantella, a type of fast traditional dance from Southern Italy, appears in Act II of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet The Nutcracker, right before the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Thanks to Sarah for suggesting this tune!
This Siciliana is the opening movement from the third of Telemann's Sonates sans Basse à deux Flutes traverses, ou à deux Violons, ou à deux Flutes à bec, or “Sonatas without Bass for Two Transverse Flutes, or Two Violins, or Two Recorders”.
Here is another étude by Danish flutist Joachim Andersen. This Andantino in A-flat major is study No. 17 from his Twenty-Four Etudes for Flute, Op. 33.
This beautiful waltz-time song was written by Kenneth North sometime before 1950, and has been covered by nearly every Irish band since. The lyrics tell of a traveler who has left Ulster and longs to return to the beautiful scenery of the glens (valleys) and to one particular person that he left behind. The Nine Glens that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast are an area of outstanding natural beauty and are a major tourist attraction in Northern Ireland.
Thanks to Michael for suggesting this tune!
The “Grave Adagio” in B-flat major we present today is the opening movement of the third Sonata from the Trattenimenti armonici collection by Italian Baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni.